David Sancious is a legendary rock session musician. He has played keyboards and guitar with everybody from Bruce Springsteen to Sting to Peter Gabriel. But a small part of his past was spent in the jazz-fusion world. It appeared certain he would become quite a popular force in the genre. But things didn't work out that way. In recent years he has shown he may be catching the bug again. But nothing concrete has developed.

"And Then She Said" is one of those tunes that comes in from the progressive jazz door but exits by way of the fusion fire escape. Sancious's straight-ahead piano treatment leading to the somewhat gentle main melody would seem the least likely way to set the stage for fusion anthem theatrics. But it does. The solo turns also tend to be more jazz-based. But when the piece returns to its main theme, the soaring sparks of a jazz-rock tradition take hold. Sancious fills "And Then She Said" with conflicting measures of beauty and raw power. His Hammond organ solo is perfect. He is joined by bassist Jeff Berlin, who adds just the right touches. The quality of this tune confirms something that a small but loyal cadre of Sancious jazz-rock fans have known for three decades. Sancious's contributions to the genre were important but overlooked. Much of that may have been because of his own career choices. But nonetheless, a close look at his brief fusion career ought to be mandatory.

Caveat: The musician credits listed above are my best guess from the limited information available. I am pretty sure that Jeff Berlin is the bassist, but I would not stake my life on it. There is always the possibility that it was T.M. Stevens. It could also have been Sancious himself! The same doubt applies to the others. If you have better information, please share it in a comment below.